//Well, I never seem to get a good feel for my chars and always end up frequently making new ones, so this time I'm going to try and think carefully about personality etc. and try and get a sense of who the char is. So, I'm starting with trying to write something of a story about her!

“Nasi?”

The young boy brushed aside an intrusive tree branch and peered into the scrubby bush that surrounded their estate.

“Nasi? Mother is looking for you!”

No response. He sighed, casting a glance back towards the manor as he heard the calls of one of the servants, also sent out to find his missing sister.

“Nasi, she ... mmph.”

A hand clapped over his mouth and he was unceremoniously dragged through the trees and dumped into a hollow behind an old log. He squirmed and turned to see the disheveled mahogany head of hair beside him.

“You're going to ...”

“Shhh.”

Anastasia shot her brother a subduing look, her ears pricked for the sounds of the servant as he moved closer. The two children froze as the man passed only a short distance from their hiding place, muttering about useless tasks and naughty children and what he would like to do with both.

Niven flopped back against the log with a sigh as the servant moved on out of earshot.

“Mother wants you to come home. You're late for ...”

“… my etiquette lessons, I know.”

Anastasia screwed up her nose.

“So boring.”

Niven eyed his sister's grubby dress, sporting a fresh rip from her adventures in the forest and thought silently to himself that she could probably use the lessons. He didnt dare voice it out loud though. That would ensure his drafting into whatever scheme she currently had going as punishment.

“Come on.”

His hand was grabbed and he was pulled up the hill behind his sister.

“Wait, where are we ...”

His protests were ignored as Anastasia continued to plow through the bush, heedless of her expensive clothing. They paused beside a handful of gorse bushes, the yellow flowers coating every surface so there was scarcely any green to be seen at all. Anastasia beckoned him closer, already down on her knees beside the bushes, and carefully parted the branches.

“Look what I found.”

Niven peered into the gap and found a small nest with several baby hedgehogs (or were they knarls) nestled into the packed grass and leaves. Anastasia beamed, obviously proud of her find.

“They're knarls”, she whispered with the air of one who expected to impress with her knowledge.

“The mother was there earlier and I offered her a piece of apple I had and she nearly ripped my hand off.”

Niven glanced at his sister's hand, which was unscathed except for what his mother would call in horror 'half the soil in Scotland'. Anastasia carefully replaced the gorse branches and wandered off to sit on a rock. Niven followed silently.

“Are you scared?”

Anastasia turned her head from the furrow in the rock she had been poking.

“What's there to be scared of?”

“You'll be going far away from home. Not like Hogwarts is just over the hill.”

Anastasia giggled. “In the dragon reservation? That would make school a little more interesting.”

Niven rolled his eyes. “Yeah, you'd love that. Father says that you're far too obsessed with the beasts.” Anastasia broke into laughter as her brother unconsciously mimicked their father's disapproving expression.

“I bet father is glad to have me going away from temptation considering the number of times I've been brought back home by one of the wardens when I was trying to spot a dragon. Someday I'm going to ...”

Niven tuned his sister's usual spiel out and focused intently on the dirt scuffed up by his shoes.

“… miss you.”

Anastasia broke off mid sentence.

“Well … I won't be gone forever. And I'll come back for holidays. And in a couple of years you'll be able to come with me. We'll have heaps of fun together.”

She bounced up from the rock and flung her arms around her brother.

“And I'll miss you too!”

She made sure to ruffle his hair for just long enough to gain wriggling and cries of “get off”, then released her victim and grinned impishly at him.

“You'd better write heaps.”

Niven rearranged his mussed hair huffily. “I'll write if you do!”

“I'll write every day ... no every hour ... no every minute!”

Niven snorted. “You won't have time to go to classes then.”

Anastasia squinted up at the sun.

“Well, speaking of classes, what do you know. It looks like my etiquette lesson is over. So sad that I couldn't make it.”

She grinned at her reluctantly smiling brother.

“Race you back for dinner!”

_________________
Anastasia McLaren - 4th year Slytherin
Anna Daljera - 3rd year Gryffindor
Shizuka Matsuri - 2nd year Ravenclaw

"Anastasia! For goodness sake stop wriggling!" Alexandra McLaren frowned at her daughter.

Anastasia stopped craning her neck to see out the window and returned her attention to the robe that her mother was trying to fit on her.

"Do I have to wear these all the time at school?"

"Of course not. You'll be given House robes once you are Sorted."

Anastasia screwed up her nose at the idea of further robe torment. She tried to peek over her mother's shoulder again, but a hand held her firmly in place.

"Right." Alexandra made a final alteration with a sweep of her wand. "I think that's the best I'll get. Wait just a minute!"

Anastasia froze halfway out the door.

"Take it off before you go out to play. I didn't put all that work into it just to have it coming back looking like you dragged it through a bush."

"It's not 'looking like'", Niven observed from the chair where he was curled up reading a book. "It's pretty much guaranteed to actually be dragged through a bush."

"It isn't going to be dragged through anything." Alexandra gave her daughter a steely look. "Upstairs and change, now!"

As Anastasia rushed upstairs with inconsiderate speed she shook her head ruefully. "I give that robe a week at most at Hogwarts." She watched her daughter racket back down the stairs wearing a somewhat tattered play dress and almost bounce out the door.

"... Maybe I should get her a few backups."

_________________
Anastasia McLaren - 4th year Slytherin
Anna Daljera - 3rd year Gryffindor
Shizuka Matsuri - 2nd year Ravenclaw

Shortly after the attack:

"5 minutes."

"Mummy!"

"Nasi! Are you alright?"

"Yes, but I'm scared. There was so much noise and everything was falling down and they said that some people were killed."

"Where are you now?"

"At St. Mungo's. The teachers brought everyone here as soon as they got us out of the castle. Lots of people were hurt and I guess they didn't know what to do with the rest of us. I want to come home!"

"I'm sorry, darling. That's just not possible at the moment. You know how close we are to the dragon reservation. Well, there's been some trouble; dragons pushing the boundaries. The house is under watch and it's just too dangerous. You'll be safe at Mungos."

"But I'll be good, I swear! I won't cause any trouble or try to see the dragons or anything!"

"I'm sorry, Nasi. Niven and I will try to come up and visit you. They may want us to evacuate the area anyway if there are further escapes."

"But ..."

"Time's up."

"Wait ..."

"Be good, Nasi. Remember that we love you."

"Mummy!"

"Look, little girl. I have 50 more people waiting outside to get connected with their families through this fireplace. Time's up."

"But ..."

"Time's up!"

_________________
Anastasia McLaren - 4th year Slytherin
Anna Daljera - 3rd year Gryffindor
Shizuka Matsuri - 2nd year Ravenclaw

"Divination, really? And ... Muggle Studies. Couldn't you take something more useful?"

Alexandra McLaren frowned over the sheet of paper bearing Anastasia's elective choices at her daughter.

"But then I would have had to take Ancient Runes or Arithmancy. I would have died of boredom!"

Alexandra sighed. "Really, Anastasia. You are 13 now. You aren't a child anymore. It's about time that you settled down and considered your future. You are my heir, remember. One day all the estate will belong to you. You need to take things more seriously! Your brother starts at Hogwarts this year and I expect you to set a good example for him and provide him with guidance."

Anastasia looked indignant. "I'll totally take care of Niven! And I'll show him the castle and everything!" She smiled at the idea.

Alexandra shook her head and tossed the paper down. "Take these ridiculous classes if you must, but remember what I said. There are more important things you need to learn other than tea leaves or Muggle foolishness."

She gave her daughter a hard look. "Try to at least think about what I've said before you go running off outside again."

Anastasia, who had been surreptitiously glancing out the window at the clear blue sky, started guiltily. "I promise, Mother! I'll be really good; just you wait and see!" She threw her arms around Alexandra in a bear hug.

Alexandra straightened her glasses, knocked askew by the force of the hug and ruffled her daughter's messy hair affectionately. "Alright ... you can go."

She watched Anastasia rush down the hall and out the front doors, successfully collaring her startled brother on the way and dragging him along with her while talking excitedly about how much fun they were going to have at Hogwarts together.

"I'll wait and see ... but I will be watching you."

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Anastasia McLaren - 4th year Slytherin
Anna Daljera - 3rd year Gryffindor
Shizuka Matsuri - 2nd year Ravenclaw